Cherry Valley Board OKs hiring of park rangers

Wednesday

May 30, 2012 at 12:01 AMMay 30, 2012 at 9:02 AM

CHERRY VALLEY — The Village Board will bring back part-time park rangers to help police patrol Cherry Valley parks and bike paths. The rangers will work with police officers, but will not have police powers, arrest authority or carry a weapon. The board hired three rangers Tuesday night at $10.50 an hour.

Greg Stanley

CHERRY VALLEY — The Village Board will bring back part-time park rangers to help police patrol Cherry Valley parks and bike paths. The rangers will work with police officers, but will not have police powers, arrest authority or carry a weapon. The board hired three rangers Tuesday night at $10.50 an hour.

The village hadn’t hired rangers in a few years because of budget cutbacks.
The rangers will patrol the parks on bicycles and keep an eye on the Kishwaukee River canoe launch at Baumann Park, parking and restrooms.

“Vandalism is always a concern of ours, drinking in general and anything that comes up as a violation of a park,” village President Jim Claeyssen said. “We’ve had some issues in the parks. This will be good for the village and make the environment safe and more fun.”

The Village Board also voted to oppose the proposed Winnebago Landfill expansion. Cherry Valley officials argued that the landfill will significantly disrupt commercial development to the village’s side of the Interstate 39 and Baxter Road interchange.

The Winnebago County Board is considering a proposal to expand the landfill east from Lindenwood Road to Interstate 39. The expansion would include about 222 acres of active landfill space, double the current size, and provide room for trash from Winnebago County and 14 others in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin from 2020 to 2047.

“With the landfill butted up right to the western side of I-39, who’s going to want to build a Motel 6 across the street?” Claeyssen said. “We live off that sales tax in the village — we don’t levy a property tax.”

Claeyssen said the village isn’t necessarily opposed to efforts to expand the landfill.

“We just don’t want it to be butted all the way up against 39,” he said.